Chapter 42 - Hozuki Full Moon: I Can’t Win, I Really Can’t Win!

Master-Level Body Flicker Technique!

Kyōen put down his blade and sat on the ground to reflect.

"Detailed, perfect control skills, experience in responding to various battle scenarios..."

Memories flooded into his mind.

Kyōen’s head throbbed with pain.

He endured it for a long time.

The pain gradually faded.

Then, Kyōen was left feeling somewhat dazed.

The improvement didn’t seem very obvious?

Experience in handling situations—what good is it if the body can't react in time?

After hesitating for a moment, he stood up and began to try again.

First, the basics...

Body Flicker!

Whoosh!

In an instant, his figure appeared at another location.

Kyōen carefully sensed the change.

The speed was fast; it seemed to have reached the physical and chakra limits of what his body could achieve. But even so, there wasn’t much difference felt.

Wait...

Let me try again!

He covered his eyes with a cloth, then made a shadow clone and instructed it to attack him.

After many days of training, he had already developed a basic skill of discerning positions by sound, and his body's instinctive reactions had improved significantly.

The moment the shadow clone attacked...

Kyōen instantly heard it.

In an instant, he reacted and used the Body Flicker to dodge.

What was that?

Kyōen was incredibly surprised.

He could feel that his body seemed to have undergone countless training sessions with this technique. In the blink of an eye, upon hearing the sound, he instinctively knew where the enemy was and responded accordingly.

He tried several times.

Then, Kyōen was sure—his ability to discern positions by sound had definitely improved, and his body’s instinctive reaction was much stronger.

In fact...

At that moment, as soon as he thought about it, his body had already taken action.

This was a comprehensive improvement!

However...

Kyōen knew clearly.

This meant that he couldn’t control that kind of extreme speed, so he needed to rely on his body’s instincts and various techniques to achieve instantaneous reactions.

What if it were someone like Minato Namikaze, who already had the physical conditions to enable such reactions? What would the evolution in that direction look like?

Maybe something like Shisui’s approach, but for now, he had no way of knowing.

“That’s fine, I can create my own combined techniques. Combat experience and reaction time are the most valuable!” Kyōen exhaled deeply.

Then, he pondered the direction for further training.

Master-level Body Flicker is not invincible.

It requires first obtaining information, then responding consciously, with the body almost simultaneously reacting.

If an enemy can make a completely silent ambush, the body won’t be able to avoid it on its own.

It’s still a technique at its core, not a passive physical reaction.

However...

Even if it’s only an improvement in awareness of evasion and dodging, it still brought great benefits.

Kyōen exhaled again, suppressing his excitement, and his thoughts gradually became clearer.

Next step—

Continue training and strengthen the body!

At the moment, what he lacked was a stronger body.

With physical improvements, the upper limit of his Body Flicker would also rise.

"Next, more running, more blade practice."

Kyōen gathered his things.

He removed the racks in the yard.

Then, he headed out for a run!

...

In Konoha, Kyōen hadn’t been out for a while and found it a bit unfamiliar.

He wore weights and, relying on his own strength, ran laps around the village perimeter.

Not long after, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Yo! My eternal rival, you’re finally back!”

After waiting a while, Guy quickly passed him, running backward. “Why aren’t you answering me?”

Kyōen looked confused.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Tch! Seriously! It’s like you two are from the same team, your conversation style is exactly the same!” Guy exclaimed.

“Aren’t your eternal rival and Kakashi the same person?” Kyōen asked in surprise.

Guy chuckled and replied, “Can’t I have more than one eternal rival? You and Kakashi are both my eternal rivals!”

Then, he suddenly returned to his normal running form.

“Speaking of which, are you two participating in this year’s Chūnin Exams? It’s a bit special, and I wanted to ask you if you’re going.”

“Chūnin Exams, special?” Kyōen was slightly taken aback.

Guy nodded.

“Yeah, didn’t Jiraiya-sensei tell you?”

“I haven’t seen sensei for several days.”

Even by the hot springs, Kyōen hadn’t seen Jiraiya, likely because he had left Konoha for the “Alliance” business.

Guy paused, then understood.

“No wonder! Jiraiya-sensei is indeed busy. Anyway, this year’s Chūnin Exams are special. My sensei said we’re collaborating with the Hidden Cloud and Hidden Mist villages, and the Mist Village’s envoy is already in the village.”

As he was speaking, a cold snort came from nearby.

“Ryōmine Kyōen, I’ve finally found you!”

The voice was somewhat familiar.

Kyōen looked toward the source and raised an eyebrow, a faint smile appearing on his face.

“Full Moon, you’re looking for me. Could it be to thank my sensei for inviting you to Konoha?”

“Hmph!”

Hozuki Full Moon sneered.

He stared at Kyōen with a cold gaze.

“You’re going to participate in this Chūnin Exam, right?”

“Who knows? Maybe I will, maybe I won’t,” Kyōen shrugged. “How have you been lately?”

Hozuki Full Moon’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Thanks to you, I’ve been very busy lately. If you don’t participate in the Chūnin Exams, I’ll make sure to return the favor to the other Konoha ninjas who are participating!”

As he finished speaking, his figure vanished in an instant.

However...

The moment Hozuki Full Moon appeared, Kyōen threw a punch behind him.

Crash!

There was a loud sound as Hozuki Full Moon’s head exploded, but he still swung his fist toward Kyōen.

The Water Body Technique is immune to punches!

However...

The next moment, Hozuki Full Moon’s punch missed.

What?

In the blink of an eye, his face was filled with astonishment.

Before he could react, the figure before him disappeared.

Was that a clone?

No!

It wasn’t a clone; it was just that his speed was too fast, and his eyes couldn’t keep up, leaving only an afterimage!

Hozuki Full Moon’s breath caught in his throat.

The next moment, his head and lower body were once again destroyed.

Above him was Guy’s flying kick.

Below...

It was Kyōen’s kick.

Guy was surprised to see that Kyōen had somehow appeared behind Hozuki Full Moon.

Such speed!

And...

It seemed like the Mist Village didn’t even react...

“Attacking a Konoha ninja? Looks like you want to stay as a guest in Konoha?” Kyōen said.

Hozuki Full Moon didn’t answer.

He wasn’t arrogant, but was completely shocked.

This guy!

His reaction and speed were faster than before!

After being studied by that freak for more than ten days, this Ryōmine Kyōen had become even stronger!

How could this be?

Is this guy even human?

For the first time, Hozuki Full Moon felt like his talent had been surpassed.

The only thing he was grateful for was that no matter how powerful this person was, he couldn’t kill him—

If it weren’t for the Water Body Secret Technique, he would have been dead!

At that moment, on the high platform of Konoha Hospital not far away...

“Tsune... Tsunade.”

“Hmm?”

“That person over there, tangled up with the Mist Village, seems like your junior.”

Orochimaru’s voice was raspy.

Tsunade immediately focused her gaze and then smiled wryly.

Kyōen...

This kid...

Hmm?

Tsunade’s expression changed. She focused intently.

She sensed a massive chakra erupting from Kyōen, and then with a single punch, she saw Hozuki Full Moon’s upper body explode after Kyōen flickered to his rear.

Such speed!

No way?

Can he improve this quickly?

She was deeply shocked, her eyes filled with surprise.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

“At his age, such speed is already impressive. This child reminds me of the second Hokage.”

“The Senju bloodline and talent are shining once again through him. Truly astonishing and nostalgic! No wonder you chose to return to the village and compete for the Hokage position!”

Even Orochimaru couldn’t help but praise him.

No wonder Jiraiya often boasted that this disciple of his was like a second Minato.

Such terrifying talent!

“Bloodline? He’s just working hard enough, his talent only plays a small role,” Tsunade said, though she couldn’t stop smiling.

Then, her smile froze, and she sneered. “As for competing for Hokage, if it weren’t for the old man and the others, this child’s talent would have been discovered much earlier! I’m fighting for Hokage to protect their healthy growth!”

“That year, Senju Momohara’s genjutsu was famous in the ninja world. Her legacy, like the second Hokage’s, is of great research value,” Orochimaru said.

Tsunade scoffed, “So after so many years, what have you discovered? With the combined genjutsu records of both Uncle and Aunt, after years of research, you still haven’t found a single ninja who can use the Dark Arts!”

Orochimaru fell silent.

Because at present, Konoha didn’t even have a single ninja who mastered the Dark Arts.

Tsunade was about to continue criticizing their incompetence when she suddenly froze and vanished in a flicker.